ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS’ REPORT

Mrs Julie Andrews, Mr Paul Dawson &

Mr Bradley Headlam

Assistant Principals

JAPAN CULTURE AND LANGUAGE STUDY TOUR

During the holidays I had the great pleasure of escorting 5 of our students on a cultural educational tour of Japan. It was a fantastic experience that began in Tokyo and culminated in a homestay school immersion program in Izumiotsu (Osaka). Some of the highlights/sights visited included; TeamLab Digital art museum (pictured) which involved an interactive light show in 9 different exhibitions. The art was interactive in a manner that when you stood near the wall flowers blossomed, if you tapped the wall or floor some of the images exploded or burst into fireworks. If this interests you then Melbourne has a TeamLab digital art exhibition at the moment (see flyer attached). We also toured HIroshima, Harajuku, Osaka castle, Osaka aquarium, performed karaoke, visited Nijo-jo castle, Mirajima island, Picachu cafe, a cat cafe whilst continuing to utilise language (mainly to shop), familiarise with the cultural expectations and sampling a range of fantastic foods. We travelled on the bullet train (Shinkansen) whilst eating Bento boxes and had a ball. If this was not enough we had a beautiful bunch of host families giving up their time and homes to take care of our students for 6 nights. It was here in Izumiotsu that the students attended three different schools with their host brothers/sisters and were treated like celebrities. Life-long friends were gained and a passion for learning the language extended.

We finished the tour with the local Danjiri festival which involved community members (about 100) towing around a 200 million yen float around the streets whilst playing music at their loudest. A great way to finish the tour along with the numerous presents and memories to take with us to the plane.

We could not have completed this tour without the home stays and if your family is interested in connecting with another in Japan then this is a fantastic way of doing so. In August next year we have a number of Japanese students visiting us and require home stays. Please contact Linda Castle if you are interested.

If your child is studying Japanese and is eager to participate in such an exchange in 2021, then information on this will start to become available via the LOTE staff (Linda Castle or Kellie Phillipps).

Year 12 Students - Farewell

Congratulations to the Year 12 students who are in their last few days of secondary school. 

It has been our pleasure to participate in the recent VCAL interviews hearing about each students' successes, skill development, project work and how they managed to deal with challenges during the year. We are encouraged by the maturity and personal growth demonstrated by these students as they begin to engage in life/work/study beyond school. 

VCE classes finish on Tuesday, 22 October, after two solid weeks of exam revision. On 22 October the school community will farewell all of the Year 12 cohort at a morning tea followed by an assembly. The excitement continues into the evening with the Formal Graduation celebration where certificates and awards will be presented. 

We wish every Year 12 student the very best in their chosen pathway and look forward to hearing about their successes in the future. 

VCE Visual Art Expo

This week we had the privilege of viewing the VCE student work in Visual Communication and Design, Media (Film) and Media (Photography). We looked at the development folios and the final products all of which demonstrated the students' dedication to achieve such involved and thoughtful artwork. Well done to the students and a huge thank you to Mr Petrie and Mrs Petrie for establishing this annual event and for their time to display the artwork. 

Year 7 Immunisations

The last visit from Barwon Health immunisation program is Monday, 25 November. We had almost 100% return on the consent cards - this is an amazing result and the first time we attained such a high level of return.

Year 7 Language Choice 2020

This year the Year 7 students studied both Japanese and German - a semester of each. For 2020, all Year 7 students moving into Year 8 will be required to select the language they will study for the whole year, either Japanese or German.

Students will have access via the school GMail to complete a form with their language selection. There will be a short timeline for students to do this. Please have a discussion at home about your child’s preference for 2020 Language so they can complete the form easily. 

If parents/carers have a concern about any aspect of the process of the Language program please contact either Mr Storer, Year 7 Coordinator, Mr Nixon, Language Coordinator, or Mrs Andrews, Assistant Principal - Curriculum.